“It began with the bodies.”

Twenty years ago, a serial killer brutally murdered 6 people in the small English town of Briganton, splitting a community and injecting terror into the everyday lives of the town’s inhabitants for six long weeks. When the perpetrator, Heath McGowan, was finally apprehended by the Detective Sergeant Eric Bell and convicted of the killings, everyone heaved a huge sigh of relief, but the damage had already been done. Some residents chose to move away, scarred by the black cross that forever marked Briganton as the hunting grounds of “the killer on the wall”, for the way he positioned his victims against the historic remnants of Hadrian’s Wall. Others dug in their heels and chose to stay, refusing to let the killer win. Isla Bell, who was the girl who discovered the first lot of bodies on her morning run, went one step further: in her career as forensic psychologist she now dedicates herself to scanning the brains of psychopaths to discover if there are common abnormalities which set a person on the path to becoming a murder machine. As part of her project, she has encountered the worst sadistical killers mankind has ever produced. Including Heath, who still holds a special dark place in her heart, and who is the 13th convicted killer to undergo this process.

“Lucky number 13.” Isla agreed.

Only that it turns out to be anything else but lucky for the community of Briganton. One day after Heath’s MRI scan, another body is discovered seated against Hadrian’s Wall. The murder has the same MO as the original killings. Is it a copycat, or a domestic argument gone wrong? When the body count mounts once again, the residents’ worst fears are confirmed – the killer is back. But how is this possible, when Heath is still in prison? Is there another killer amongst them?

I have read and enjoyed every one of Emma Kavanagh’s books, and this one is no exception. Taut and twisty, this thriller will take you on a dark journey into the minds of psychopaths, and those who fight them. With her background as a police and military psychologist, Kavanagh’s characterisations are spot on, which makes for an interesting reading journey as you discover that in this book, you cannot really trust anyone or anything. A constant undercurrent of threat and menace is maintained by the prospect of a killer living amongst a small, peaceful community, preying on random victims until no one is safe in their homes any longer. What makes a ruthless killer tick? And would we recognise one if we saw him/her? It could be your friend, your neighbour, your partner, your child. A truly scary premise, skilfully explored by a writer who clearly knows what makes people tick – and what keeps readers reading!

I particularly enjoyed the character of Iraqi born Detective Constable Mina Arian, who I felt was more approachable than the somewhat aloof Isla, and whose persistence in exploring every detail of the case finally brings some answers. Whilst some readers may find the end shocking, and some may have had their suspicions, I appreciated how neatly all the threads came together, which again is a credit to the author’s skill in weaving an utterly compelling mystery and one that may make you lock your doors and keep you inside at night. Highly recommended.

It started with the bodies….Well yes, indeed it did and the opening salvo from Emma Kavanagh in The Killer On The Wall made me actually shiver – the scene setting itself would have been enough but then there were BODIES. And I pretty much continued to shiver my way through the rest of the novel as well and not just because of all the death and desolation.

Basically The Killer on the Wall is an utterly riveting psychological thriller with Ms Kavanagh’s trademark divisive yet endlessly compelling characters all living through a nightmare the likes of which is almost unimaginable. If you live in a small community and you know everyone, what do you do when there is a killer on the loose? Even more so when you thought it was all behind you and there had been many years of relative quiet and recuperation.

That is the situation the author throws her group into, all set against a haunting yet beautiful backdrop which comes to life in the telling. Descriptively this is her best yet, so as well as the really quite twisted yet extremely emotive plot developing you’ve got it all happening in a place of beauty, where nothing so ugly should occur.

I love the psychological aspects, I was particularly drawn to Isla who grew up to make a career out of trying to discover why some people can commit these horrific acts having seen the fallout with her own eyes, she is sympathetic and driven. The crime element – whodunnit – is fascinatingly drawn, driven very much by the characters and how they see things. You may or may not see the end coming but to be honest, that may be the pay off but the sheer addictive nature of The Killer on the Wall is found not in the solving of the mystery but in the events leading up to it.

Another huge HUGELY excellent book from an author who is becoming one to watch in Crime writing circles. I’m loving each one more than the last and The Killer On The Wall is perhaps my favourite because it has such a brilliantly atmospheric ambience and a true page turning quality – it is honestly hard to put down once you start.

Wonderful writing, clever and taut storytelling and a definite tendency to make you want to sleep with the lights on.

Highly Recommended.